Up to 2 inches of rain in places and snow in store this weekend – Met Eireann

A status orange rainfall warning and a status yellow rainfall warning have been issued by Met Eireann this morning for parts of the country.

Prolonged spells of rain over the last week have left thousands of acres of farmland flooded.

The orange rainfall warning is in place in Clare, Cork and Kerry.

Prolonged falls of very heavy rain expected overnight Friday and during Saturday with totals of 30 to 50mm, larger totals on higher ground, Met Eireann said.

It also said that further flooding is expected and the warning is in place until midnight on Saturday.

The yellow rainfall warning for all counties in Leinster except Louth and Meath. It has also been issued for Limerick and Tipperary.

Met Eireann has said that falls of very heavy, prolonged rain at times overnight and during Saturday with totals of 20 to 35mm, larger totals on higher ground.

Like the orange warning, further flooding is expected and it is in place until midnight on Saturday.

Weekend outlook – Met Eireann

Today (Friday), will see further showers in the morning, some heavy and prolonged in the west and northwest, it said.

Met Eireann has also said that the showers will become confined mainly to northern areas around the middle of the day and then dying out from most places as it becomes mostly dry for the evening.

Temperatures during the afternoon will be between 5 and 8 degrees, coolest further north, it said.

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Winds will veer from southwest to west to northwest and will be strong at first but Met Eireann said they will gradually decrease in the afternoon, falling light and variable by evening.

Tonight (Friday) will be cold and frosty with ice on untreated surfaces, it said.

According to Met Eireann, the coldest conditions will be in the north of the country where temperatures are likely to be 2 degrees below freezing under clear skies.

Further south temperatures will be a little higher as cloud begins to gather again from the southwest, extending northwards during the night and bringing rain, it said.

Winds will be light variable initially but Met Eireann has said they will become easterly by morning.

Looking to Saturday, it said that it will be cold, dry and frosty in the north of the country to start.

Further south, cloudy damp conditions will deteriorate further and push northwards.

Rain will turn heavy and will fall as snow initially, however the snow will clear with the advancing heavy rain.

Temperatures on Saturday will rise in the south to 10 or 11 degrees as milder air is drawn up over the country once again by advancing frontal systems, further north will remain cooler for much of the day, it said.

According to Met Eireann, the rain will continue overnight on Saturday and there’ll be further outbreaks of rain on Sunday, although many parts will become dry during the day.

Temperatures will recover somewhat and Sunday night is unlikely to be frosty, winds will be moderate to fresh south to southeasterly.

Looking to next week, Met Eireann has said that Monday will be showery and unsettled, some showers heavy but remaining mild for the time of year.

The further outlook is for continued unsettled weather although current indications suggest dry weather for Tuesday and Wednesday at this point, it said.